November 30th, 2017

House Bill Seeks To Increase Auto-IRA Cash Out Limit Congress has periodically adjusted the cash-out limit over the years to reflect increasing costs of plan administration; however, the last time it was updated was 1997. Read more > Policy Proposals Made by Morningstar Include Open MEPs, Auto-IRAs Half of employees at small companies don’t have access to a retirement plan at all. Among those who do, plan costs are significantly higher than plans sponsored by larger companies. In addition, few small-company plans have automatic enrollment or automatic deferral escalation features. Read more > Data Shows Sidecar Savings Accounts Could Support DC Plan Success One clear way to help prevent retirement plan leakage is to help families cope with financial shocks and income volatility in the short term; one way to do this is to encourage use of “sidecar accounts.” Read more > Despite Wanting Help, Many Employees Balk at Targeted Messages Fifty-seven percent of employees surveyed do not want their employer to send personalized messages to people facing important financial decisions. Read more > MOST READ ARTICLES

Sponsored message from Cohen & Steers REITs: Answering the Call for DC plan Diversification For fiduciaries looking to enhance diversification in defined contribution plans, we believe REITs can be a simple and effective addition to investment lineups. Read more > 2017 PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey When it comes to selecting recordkeepers, value for price is clearly very important to plan advisers, as it received the most votes as the “first,” “second” and “first or second” consideration, being cited by 46%, 21% and 67% of advisers, respectively, among a total of 14 criteria they consider when selecting a recordkeeper.  Read more > Credit Card Debt Preventing Many Gen Xers From Saving for Retirement Many Generation X members are struggling with debt, Allianz Life found in a survey. Their non-mortgage debt, i.e. credit card and student loan debt, has increased 15% since 2014, rising from an average of $20,000 to $23,000. Read more > Report Suggests Strategy for Improving DB Plan Funded Status Even amid a surging bull equity market, the average funded status of U.S. defined benefit (DB) plans has risen by only 2% in the last eight years, from 79% to 81%, according to global investment firm Cambridge Associates. Read more > Active Managers Turn to Mixed Asset Class Products Twenty-six percent of active managers are building multi-asset-class funds. Of this group, 74% are based on fundamental active management, and the remaining 26% on factor-based management with portfolio manager discretion. Read more > Folio Institutional Launches Expert Interview Series The expert interview series showcases some of the leading thinkers in the financial services industry on issues that matter most for financial advisers. Read more > Market Mirror Wednesday, the Dow gained 103.97 points (0.44%) to finish at 23,940.68, the NASDAQ lost 87.97 points (1.27%) to finish at 6,824.39, and the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged at 2,636.07. The Russell 2000 increased 5.86 points (0.38%) to 1,542.30, and the Wilshire 5000 was down 6.10 points (0.02%) at 27,290.12.   The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 16/32, bringing its yield up to 2.386%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 1 9/32, increasing its yield to 2.823%.

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